Swimming Off Mogadishu, a Sense of Hope Returns to Somalia

With almost a thousand newly trained government troops, augmented by thousands of African peacekeepers, Mogadishu, the war torn capital of Somalia, and former jewel of the Indian Ocean, has a newfound sense of liberation these days, since al Qaeda-linked rebels were forced out last year.

The economy has recovered somewhat from the civil unrest, and the white-sand beaches, among the most beautiful in the world, are now seeing the return of swarms of swimmers to the turquoise waters.

“It’s like we live in a real city, not a warzone,” Malin, an IT graduate, now 24 years old, told a Reuters reporter.